Matt Millen enters the Dez Bryant fray

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on April 29, 2010, 12:57 PM EST

Only days after he was forced to apologize for using the term “Polack” while engaged in on-air banter with colleague Ron Jaworski, former Lions G.M. Matt Millen has returned to the ESPN airwaves (so much for a suspension) to weigh in regarding the question that was posed prior to the draft by Dolphins G.M. Jeff Ireland to receiver Dez Bryant.

Millen’s take? “We’re making a big deal out of something that’s probably not that big a deal.”

Millen supported his belief by explaining that, in a pre-draft interview, “there are no questions that are out of bounds” because, on a football field, “there are no questions that are out of bounds.” Millen also said that he believes (as we do) that the goal was to find out how Bryant would handle the situation.

At one point, Millen began to editorialize regarding “this whole politically correct thing,” a curious choice of words given his own recent personal experiences.

At times, SportsCenter anchor Chris McKendry seemed to be befuddled by Millen’s position, wondering aloud whether he condones the asking of offensive and inappropriate questions. Millen even admitted that he “could have” asked a question like that during his own career as an NFL executive.

Bottom line? This case exposes to the “real world” a particularly unsavory part of the pro football sausage-making process about which most of us weren’t fully aware. Guys like Millen will shrug their shoulders, but the broader question is whether the time has come to quit making excuses for the bizarre dynamics of the “locker room” and demand a higher level of behavior.

110 responses to “Matt Millen enters the Dez Bryant fray”

this is so lame. this is football not choir tryouts. get over it. ireland asked an offensive question to see how the kid would handle it. big deal. sh*t happens. if he didnt like it he doesnt need to sign a contract with mia. its up to the player to make that decision.

Millen, POLEEZE STFU!!!!!!!!!!
You have no right to talk about anything football anymore!
Just cherish your memories of when you were a Raida and move along!!!!!
You know absolutely ass about football now!!

New Rule: if ESPN wants to know what an actual GM of an NFL team thinks about this whole Dez Bryant-Jeff Ireland outrage, they must ask an acutal NFL GM- Not the guy whose executive career can be summed up by watching the movie “King Ralph”

It is so ridiculous to suggest that no question is out of bounds because players will hear worse on the football field.
Yes, they will hear worse things….ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. Trash talking is part of the game.
I bet you if someone in the locker room asked him that question, Dez would’ve knocked that person out. Why? Because it’s NOT THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
Trash talking has no place in an interview. If you want to know how his mother’s past actions will affect his on the field performance and off the field performance, ask him that. Regardless of whether you’re investing millions of dollars or hundreds of dollars in a person, that type of question has no place in an interview.

I think America is TRULY sick of this Political Correctness CRapola. So someone asks me if my mother is a prostitute – I say no, laugh and move on. Sounds like someone hit a raw nerve if you ask me. The real question should be, What was his answer? And how might that affect his off field behavior in the future? (by the way, it could be a positive thing)
As far as the Pollack – big freakin deal – get some thicker skin for god sakes. So someone calls me a Mic/Kraut cause I’m german irish, who gives two hoots. Only the media wanks and the crybaby libs get offended by this. Go watch Gran Torino and learn something.

Who says this is “inappropriate”? These teams are going to pay these guys millions of dollars for their services. The players will represent the franchise on and off the field. If a team thinks their past is relevant, they should be willing and able to address any aspect of it. If the guy has a difficult past, better you find out about it now and understand his reaction than to find out he has issues later. Is the guy psychologically sound, does he have character issues, does he explode, what kind of perspective does he have, does it motivate him or does it hold him back, etc.
What makes you the arbiter of what is valid and what is not?

All of the discussions so far failed to address the following:
1. If it was such a “appropriate” question, why do no other team ask it of Dez Bryant
2. Why did no team ask this ame question of any other draft prospect
3. There were only 3 possible answers: Yes she is a prostitute, no she is not, or she was a prositiute but is no longer. Ireland has not addressed what any of those answers would have meant to the Dolphins (would they have taken him off their draft board)
4. It is a poor “Yes/No” question. A better wuestion would be open ended like “describe your family,childhood, and how that has impacted who you have be become as a persona nd how that impacts you as a professional football player”
I believe Ireland should be suoneded without pay (4/17 of yearly paycheck) and have to undergo sensativity training. The Dolphins should also be penalzed for the action of one of their employees under the NFL conduct policy (monetary and a draft pick), and be required to submit all questions to the NFL for screening for the next draft.

I agree–like most reasonable people, I’ve also had enough of the ultra-zealous bleeding heart PC sensitivity overkill, enought to make me want to puke out my spleen.
Few people understand that there’s nothing in our Constitiution that guarantees people the right NOT to be offended. So usually I say pull on your big girl panties and DEAL WITH IT, instead of whining like some thin-skinned little victim all the time.
However, there’s a difference between namby-pamby pussyfooted PC garbage and simply crossing a line of common sense and basic decency, especially in a professional/superior-subordinate type relationship like that.
Ireland’s relationship with Bryant wasn’t antagonistic–he could have found another way to get whatever information he wanted.
The ends (wanting to find out about a player) don’t always justify the means (asking questions), especially when there are other ways to arrive at those same ends.

Someone should ask Millen some other ‘out of bounds’ questions:
‘Why were you such a terrible GM for so many years?’
or
‘How does it feel to set an entire organization, and to some extent, the whole city of Detroit–back decades in success and reputation?’
It’s time to fire Matt Millen, AGAIN. His credit & good will earned for being marginally talented at football YEARS AGO has been exhausted. He’s now good at nothing.

If Bryant never brought this up he would be better off… Now every single week the corner on him will taunt him to death with it, and based on his reputation he will earn a suspension.
Players do it, that is why GM’s do it. And probably why Miami took him off their draft board based on his response.

If the NFL is going to police “improper” questions in interviews, then they should also police “improper” comments on the field – ie: trash talk. Some of the trash talking out there would constitute a hostile work environment as defined in sexual harassment laws, and get us fired.

OH, and one other thing – do you think a cornerback is going to say some stuff about his momma? Of course they are, and will his reaction be to jump off sides, start a fight and get thrown out of the game? That’s why they ask these questions – 1) to see how you react 2) to see if it is a situation that could have other effects 3) to see if you are a man and how thick your skin is.
If I were a cornerback covering this guy now, I would be all over his lack of being able to take it, and I would probably have him crying before the end of the first half. This is Football guys – Man Up!

Was Millen’s mom a prostitute?
This story is getting old, there’s no point in beating a dead prostitute.
What do you tell a prostitute with 2 black eyes?
Nothing, you already told her twice.
What do all abused prostitutes have in common?
They just don’t listen.
Fat prostitutes are like mopeds, fun to ride until your friends see you on them.
prostitute

OK enough is enough already! Who gives a rats ass? If anyone is to blame it’s the media for taking this way out of context. Wasn’t it the media that kept reporting how is mom was a drug dealer and in jail for a good amount of time?
PFT is turning into garbage that they have to keep repeating the same thing 20x a day and it’s getting old! They did the same thing with Ben, is the football world that boring were you guys have to repeat the same things periodically throughout the day?

“the broader question is whether the time has come to quit making excuses for the bizarre dynamics of the “locker room” and demand a higher level of behavior.”
If you’ve ever spent any time, at all, in a locker room, you would know the answer to that question.
Sports is not a place for the weak nor faint of heart. Sensitive folks need not apply.
You run a blog that is based on rumors, whether they are true or not. You hide behind that, but question whether the locker room should demand a higher level of behavior?
Hypocrite is a nice definition of it.

If FO personnel want to shock a player during an interview, they can direct their insults toward the player and not his family. It’s probably in context to try and ire a player by saying his answers to questions indicate insecurity and lack of maturity. That should get under his skin if he tends to go off easily. If they are trying to simulate the trashtalking that goes on during a game, it is out of context when an exec does that instead of another player.

YOu know what, when you are about to give millions of dollars to somebody that hasn’t proved a damn thing in the professional workplace, they should be able to ask whatever they want. And if they don’t like you or don’t like your answer then it is their prerogative to pay somebody else.
Gimme a break, that guy’s mom was a crackhead and crackdealer, she was probably a crackwhore and Bryant lied about that like he did numerous other things. Mission accomplished for the Dolphins. They probably made the decision to trade for Brandon Marshall AFTER they talked to Bryant and he failed their line of questioning.

I actually agree with Millen… (can’t believe I’m saying that?)
The franchise is looking to invest 10’s of Millions of dollars into an individual and have every right to inquire about anything & everything they want, or feel the need to. Now, could the question have been phrased better, sure, but it wasn’t… so…
Ireland appologized for the inappropriate nature of the question… so I think it’s time to move on People!

Why would they even waste their time talking to Millen about something like this? The man is a complete idiot.
This is the guy that made homophobic remarks about Johnny Morton, his own player.
He is also the guy who called one of his own players a “devout coward”.
This man is a moron. He might have been a good football player and may have sounded good in the booth, but as far as anything related to any off-the-field conduct or decision-making goes, he has zero credibility.
He is the worst GM in the history of sports. Period. I’d take my 91 year old grandmother’s or my 3 year old nephew’s opinion on this stuff before I’d listen to Millen’s.

Florio shows his flaws in post like this….NEver played Football….And he is a lawyer….When someone explains to him real life, he thinks it is a problem instead of just accepting the fact….
And Dex Bryant will regret ever extending the convo….

Florio, that’s the problem: you can’t equate “the bizzare dynamics of the locker room” with a professional business situation like a prospect interview. I don’t think you can really control what players say to each other in locker rooms, on the field, or in social situations. People may not like it but guys do talk to each other this way, as any man with a couple of friends can attest to.
The problem with this situation is it turns general understanding of the situation into condoning of that type of behavior, and then assumes its an industry standard. I don’t really believe in political correctness in most aspects of life, but in a professional setting you really do have to draw the line somewhere. And if you can ask if someone’s mom is a whore, there’s pretty much nothing left on the other side of that line.
If an athlete had rumors swirling about his own sexuality, would a GM then be able to ask about his history and or orientation? I’m pretty sure the Supreme Court would say “no”. While it’s a lot harder to claim harassment or discrimination about references to someone’s family members, isn’t the moral principle the same?
Now I may go out with co workers after work and exchange verbal jabs with no holds barred. But if I then sit in on the same co workers progress meeting, or interview, etc, I certainly can’t use the same language or subject matter… even if I’m trying to see how he’ll react when upset. There are several industries where, in an interview, its common to ask questions to see how someone reacts, maintains composure, etc.
Bottom line is the NFL is the business and our country, culture, and laws demand something called “professionalism” in business. Most people can agree you can’t or shouldn’t try to control people’s opinion or personal actions. However, any organization with a shred of integrity will try to do so in the workplace. Not to say the Dolphins are on the hook for what Ireland said, but they probably should take same action against him.

I guess it must be true, to work in the media you must fail an IQ test.
Do you think that if you applied for a job with the FBI, CIA, casino or just plain any old job where you need to be a bonded employee, this question would really be so out of bounds?
The REAL issue here is that the press feel SORRY for Dez and what little sensibility they actually do have is being waived. 😉

This has quickly become the biggest non-news story of the offseason.
Who cares if he was asked that? Seriously, are these young men too big of babies or too stupid to understand the intent?
OBVIOUSLY, Ireland didn’t really wonder that. Does that REALLY have to be explained to someone, including Bryant?
I don’t think such a question is overly effective, because it’s too ridiculous to take seriously, so there’s room for criticism on that front. But again, it’s too silly to take seriously. I would have just started laughing because of how pathetically blatant it was.
Bottom line, if Bryant took this in stride like most players would, this story doesn’t happen.

While I do think the whole thing is getting blown out of proportions, I must also point out that Matt Millen is a buffoon. Quoting Millen at any point to make any point is counterproductive to that point.

Nonsense. If I’m going to be risking millions of MY dollars on drafting you as a player on MY team, I will ask you any question I damn well please! Millen is absolutely correct. The interview is a test to see if the interviewer can bring out the real you. All these players are coached by their agents in how to answer questions and how to act in the interview. The team will not get the real you unless they ask something they think you would not have been coached on how to answer. It is no different than when in military basic training they verbally abuse the recruits because they are trying to weed out the mental weaklings. The guys who can’t take the mental pressure and crack. You can’t afford to crack in the battlefield because you will get your fellow soldiers killed as well as yourself. Therefore , the military weeds these guys out before they get out of basic training. The same with a team who is drafting a player. As Millen stated. You will hear worse on the playing field than you will in an interview. How will you respond under pressure?

Did the Dolphins ask Tebow if his mom is a hooker just to gauge his reaction?
Anyone who supports this line of questioning is an out-and-out racist, period.
Matt Millen? Why would anyone care about what he thinks?

this issue is B.S. Dez has character issues. If a team wants to determine that if his parents were criminals and then imply the logic of ” the apple doesnt fall far from the tree” then they have every right but only, ONLY if there was a logical explanantion for the question. If while doing there background check, the Fins found dirt on his mom then IMO, they have every right to ask the question

You’ve gotta cut Millen some slack. I view him kind of like Tedd Ginn Jr. Ginn was drafted wayyyy too high. I live in Columbus and was shocked anyone would take him with the 7th overall pick. If he’d gone in the 3rd round, he’d be a deep receiver used to stretch the field for the number 1 and 2 receivers on the team. But when you pick a guy 7th, he’s got to be the man. They kept trying to make him that, but he just didn’t have the talent.
It’s like Millen. The guy really was a good color man in the 90’s. Kind of like Madden, would say some funny offbeat things, but he actually did do a job of breaking the game down. That’s what he should have stuck with. But like most ex-players, and heck, most of us in here, he thought being the GM would be an easy gig and that he could do it well. Despite the fact he had no background whatsoever in that field. He went out, failed miserably, just amazingly miserably, and finally, several years too late, was fired. But hell, if I were him I’d have taken the job too.
Now he sucks as an announcer as well. Not sure if it’s the concussions catching up as someone posted here earlier, or just the fact he doesn’t want to go back to the old schtick and seem like a clown, when he’s constantly being a called a clown as it is.

Can’t hold GMs to a higher standard when criminals run the insane asylum. There is still active felons and plenty of repeat offenders on the field. Clean up the rosters before you expect to clean up the front office.

“the broader question is whether the time has come to quit making excuses for the bizarre dynamics of the “locker room” and demand a higher level of behavior.”
Sticks and stones, Florio. Words are NOT behavior, they’re speech. Millen’s right. Guys on the field are going to call Dez’s momma a LOT worse, and since that’s expected perhaps it is prudent for a prospective employer to test how he’ll react to such words.
I’ll repeat because it’s one of my pet complaints: words are not behavior. I’m tired of politicians claiming they DID something about a problem when all they did was SPEAK about a problem and I’m tired of folks claiming someone DID something wrong when they only SAID something.

Barely relevant fun fact:
“Polish” is the only word in the English language that changes its inherent meaning once capitalized.
Example:
Matt Millen can polish my knob.
Ron Jaworski is a Polish knob.
See the difference?

# StevieMo says: April 29, 2010 1:40 PM
Did the Dolphins ask Tebow if his mom is a hooker just to gauge his reaction?
Anyone who supports this line of questioning is an out-and-out racist, period.
Matt Millen? Why would anyone care about what he thinks?
—————————————————–
I guess I’m a raciest than! Why is it every time something like this happens people pull the race card? Give me a freaking break! You want to know why Tebow’s mom was not asked that question? Because she was not a freaking drug dealer YOU MORON!
Why don’t we give the GM crap that asked Toby Gerhart if he thinks he could be a elite running back given that he is white! Now that’s a raciest question! Funny thing is how this comes out AFTER the draft! If Dez was that mad about it he would have said something before! You think if Miami drafted him at 12 that this story would have ever come out? NO!
Who cares what questions he asked? It’s their organization and they can ask whatever the phuck they want to! If a player takes offense to the questions asked than don’t join the team. Otherwise STFU!

@StevieMo = “Anyone who supports this line of questioning is an out-and-out racist, period.”
————————-
Wait, wait, wait….so now this is a RACE issue?
Wow, just wow. The stupidity of this world amazes me.

Hate to be on the side Millen is on, but he’s right.
While he may be shrugging it off as no big deal, his take is correct. There are no boundaries. Anyone willing to pay someone that kind of salary ought to be able to vet them however they choose.
If the player doesn’t like it, they don’t have to sign with that team.
Florio, you have a conflict of interest regarding this. If the NFL tightens the reins on how these athletes are interviewed, more puke will squirt through onto teams, getting arrested, driving more page views, allowing you to pick at the executives who selected such puke out of college.
Ireland was trying to do his job and figure out what his boss would be getting were they to draft Dez.

Did Ireland follow up with, Is she hot? what’s her rate for a half n half? that might have done it.
Can someone please brake into Matt Millen’s safe and upload whatever photo’s he has that has allowed him to be reguarded as an expert by people who clearly know he’s not an expert.
The “King Ralph” reference was priceless BTW.

Man if I was lined up across from someone on a football field, I’d be telling them about the time I shoved my cock down their whore of a mother’s throat so far that it was considered anal rape. Just saying, if someone can’t handle hearing that, they have no place on a football field.
P.S. Go watch M*A*S*H for god’s sake.

Jungle Juice says:
April 29, 2010 1:10 PM
Unfortunetly he is right. If he can’t handle something like that coming from a future employer, how is going to handle it when someone calls his Mom names on the field?
casey says:
April 29, 2010 1:14 PM
If Bryant never brought this up he would be better off… Now every single week the corner on him will taunt him to death with it….
dtowner says:
April 29, 2010 1:16 PM
OH, and one other thing – do you think a cornerback is going to say some stuff about his momma? Of course they are, and will his reaction be to jump off sides, start a fight and get thrown out of the game? That’s why they ask these questions – 1) to see how you react 2) to see if it is a situation that could have other effects 3) to see if you are a man and how thick your skin is.
If I were a cornerback covering this guy now, I would be all over his lack of being able to take it, and I would probably have him crying before the end of the first half. This is Football guys – Man Up!
________________
The three of you do realize that there’s trash talking in college football, right?
His mom being arrested is old news, and I’m sure corners have used it on him for some time now. It’s not like it was some secret that just came out now. To my recollection he never jumped offsides to start a fight about it, or ended up crying by halftime.
And, he didn’t go to the media crying about this. He was asked a question, and answered it. Just like Gerald McCoy, just like Toby Gerhart, and just like Myron Rolle. If you’re going to call him out for answering a direct question from the media honestly, then why not call them out too?

“Anyone who supports this line of questioning is an out-and-out racist, period.”
I don’t see at all what race has to do with this…. And i resent you calling anyone who disagrees with you as a “racist”….. grow up.

The State of Michigan should enact a law stating that if the police have probable cause to believe you are Matt Millen, they are allowed to detain you for deportation to Arizona.
Millen’s point was that anything an opponent may say to you on the playing field is also fair game for your potential supervisor to say to you in a job interview. It’s this kind of dumbass illogical reasoning that helped Millen take a Lions team that was a borderline playoff contender and turn it into the worst franchise in the NFL.
If Millen truly feels no questions are out of bounds, then it’s time to start asking him why he takes no accountability for the complete and total destruction of the Lions. He’s blamed everyone else — his coaches, his players, even the Lions fans. Why doesn’t he take responsibility?
ESPN should do a two hour segment with Millen in the hot seat taking questions from Lions fans. Obviously that will never happen, but if it did … Millen’s viewpoint that no questions are out of bounds would change instantly.

Florio, your blind spots grows ever larger.
Can you not see that there’s a vast difference between trash talk on a football field where the player is in a position to respond with superior play and whatever retaliatory trash talk insult he chooses, and a sit-down interview where the player is in an inferior and defenseless position, where the rules constrain him?
Since you can’t see the difference, let me explain it to you. It’s the difference between a fair fight and the actions of a bully.
The indignity Ireland heaped on Bryant has nothing whatsoever to do with what happens on a football field.
Unless they start play football in offices, with one side being defenseless and mute by rule, of course.

He’s done. It will take a few months or a year, but he’s done. Time to clean out the office and get your resume together Jeff. Hey, maybe you can be a TV analyst. They’ll let anyone on the air. See Millen.

That’s why he’s a FORMER GM and not interviewing any players. We’re talking about the same guy who interviewed and hired Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, and Mike Williams. The same guy who had the worst record in NFL history in a eight year span.

Alot of you guys are true friggin IDIOTS!
First off, Dez has moved on and to be honest, it never was a “REAL” issue with him until the media made a big stink about it. That being said, what Ireland said was truly uncalled for and I’m not necessarily sure he did not break any rules/laws as there are employment guidelines that EVERY employer interviewing a potential employee has to adhere to…we’ll wait and see.
I couldn’t care less about all the drama over this but I’m smart enough to know that Ireland should have handled this ALOT better and not expose himself, the Dolphin organization and their fans to this. Now it’s time to move on to bigger, better stories…oh wait, this is all PFT can come up with

djmc72 says:
April 29, 2010 1:42 PM
this issue is B.S. Dez has character issues. If a team wants to determine that if his parents were criminals and then imply the logic of ” the apple doesnt fall far from the tree” then they have every right but only, ONLY if there was a logical explanantion for the question. If while doing there background check, the Fins found dirt on his mom then IMO, they have every right to ask the question
___________________
IMHO, that would give them every right to hire a PI and find out on their own. That question is still out of bounds. EVEN IF THEY KNEW IT WERE TRUE, I’d still think that’s out of bounds for an employer to ask, regardless of how much $ is at stake.

Millen is good. He must have dirt on hundreds of people to be able to have even a job at this point. He should write a book on how to make millions for years after your pro football career with no talent, no ambition and no brains. It would be a best-seller immediately.

I can just hear the chants if the Cowgirls ever play the Phins in Miami, “Prostitute, Prostitute, Dez’s mom is a Prostitute”
I’ll laugh my ass off.
If you want someone to ask you pussyfoot questions go work in corporate america.
You have no education and other than being able to run fast and catch a ball, you have no marketable skills. If it weren’t for this F-ed up society willing to pay idiots a ton of money because they can play a game well, you’d be out on the corner selling crack right by your mama.
Just STFU and enjoy the money.

Can you say “beating a dead horse”! Good Lord. The man apologized. the apology was accepted. End of story. For 3 frickin days I have heard about this crap. You know it’s bad when Matt Millen and Mike Ditka get to weigh in and people actually give a damn what they think.
Funny part of this is that before the draft Dolphins had Bryant in for a 2 day visit. If Bryant was that upset about the situation and felt that strongly about it, couldn’t he have declined the invite? Of course not, because he was hoping the dolphins would’ve drafted him in the 12 spot and made him rich. When they didn’t and he fell to Dallas then he decided to speak up. Glad we didn’t draft this punk. Why do I get the feeling this is being urged along by NY and Boston writers?

“wxwax says:
April 29, 2010 2:18 PM
Can you not see that there’s a vast difference between trash talk on a football field where the player is in a position to respond with superior play and whatever retaliatory trash talk insult he chooses, and a sit-down interview where the player is in an inferior and defenseless position, where the rules constrain him?
Since you can’t see the difference, let me explain it to you. It’s the difference between a fair fight and the actions of a bully.
The indignity Ireland heaped on Bryant has nothing whatsoever to do with what happens on a football field.
Unless they start play football in offices, with one side being defenseless and mute by rule, of course.”
This is the correct analysis.

@ StevieMo
“Anyone who supports this line of questioning is an out-and-out racist, period.”
Why is this now about Race? Is it simply because Dez Bryant’s black?
Seriously… please explain why this is this now about Race?

casey says:
April 29, 2010 1:14 PM
If Bryant never brought this up he would be better off… Now every single week the corner on him will taunt him to death with it, and based on his reputation he will earn a suspension.
I completely agree. No one had to know about this. Now everyone does. Bryant should have just let it go. If he does achieve success, watch this end up being a stupid network T.V. segment prior to a game a few years down the road. If that ends up happening, I think Bryant should be the one owing Ireland an apology.

millen just shot up a few points in my book – he’s telling it like it is.
it’s just a question that’s asked for shock value to see how the player handles it.
like any question, it’s only offensive if there’s truth to it.
not a big deal, let’s move on.

Millen is a cement head with ZERO credibility after years of making the Lions a total joke and disaster.
I don’t know a single fan that considers his opinions to be of any value except for if printed used to wipe their rear end. He should STFU and go retire where someone might care about what he says.

Officials of organizations should be held to a higher standard than NFL players who talk trash on a football field. The gumment has put a great deal of pressure on companies to comply with employment law or be civilly or criminally liable. Business is legally accountable for abuse of power and authority over employees or potential employees, and for discriminating against protected groups. Since the conversation between Ireland and Bryant could be considered an employment interview, there are rules that govern what a potential employer can and cannot ask. In general, those areas that have nothing to do with whether a person can do a job are off limits. Questions about Dez Bryant’s mother have nothing remotely to do with his ability to play the game of football. Some have said that it could speak to the character of Bryant, who will likely earn 8 figures to play ball. To determine character issues, there are mechanisms available to the employers to help determine them. Private investigators, background checks, credit checks, degrees, etc. Some local and all federal law enforcement agencies do extensive background investigations, including polygraph, to gain deep insight into the character of someone who will make life and death decisions about others. If it can be shown that a company discriminated against a qualified candidate because their mother is, or was a prostitute, it could put your business on the business end of a bonanza for the plaintiff. A bright light has been cast on the NFL and the deferential treatment it and it’s players enjoy, which means that a grandstanding congressmen may through hearings, force it to abide by the same standards to which everyone must adhere.

Phokus says:
April 29, 2010 2:55 PM
It’s funny how conservatives are lapping up the comments of probably the worst and least talented GM I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
_________________
So first this was a stupidity issue, then it was a race issue according to some bozo on here, and now you’re trying to make it a political one? How do you know who’s conservative and who’s liberal on here? Tool.
I for one am consider myself to lean to the right, but not once have I condoned what Ireland said and did. And I’m white, and I’m not a Dophins fan.
So this is officially no longer a race, political, or sports related issue.

This has NOTHING to do with race. NOTHING. Anyone who claims it is racist, is exposing themselves as being so insecure that they blame every little thing on race. That’s not how life works. Grow up, act like a man.

You may not agree with what Ireland said, and that’s fine. But everyone who is seriously offended by this, calling Ireland a racist and saying that he has to be fired is pathetic. You all sound like whiney sensative little girls. Political correctness is starting to represent everything that’s wrong with this society and the posters here represent it perfectly. It’s turning everyone into a bunch of pussies who blame all of their misfortunes on everyone else.

Another non-story. Jaws is polish, and most polish people I know have no problem with the term ‘Pollock’ as long as it said endearingly. And Dez’s mom probably was a prostitute, so no harm no foul, right?

Perhaps some player some day will say paid me 30 million and ask me what ever, perhaps he will go #1 for being honest, they all want the money, may be bad taste and policy, but the rocks go with the farm……and so does the money. I don’t think anyone on this site has ever set for an interview that has a pay day of 20-25 million bucks, so what do they really know? Bill

@ Dewey Axewoond: Freakin funny!!
Barely noticed tidbit: Terry Bradshaw is part owner of a horse in the Kentucky Derby….. over/under on times he’s shown on camera & what color floppy hat he’ll be wearing?
Update for Florio: Terry Bradshaw ain’t dead (great name for a band by the way).

what makes this job interview different from any other job interview. All of you know that if in an interview the hiring manager asked you if you mom was a prostitute you would be pissed. Laugh you would not. What if your mom had past legal troubles nothing to do with prostituion. The guy was out of line and don’t give me the i want to check his mental toughness bull. millions of dollars or not inappropiate question to ask regardless of the situation.

jaypeso – if your mom wasn’t a prostitute, and you were asked that, why would you be offended if she wasn’t? the truth is what should offend your or not.
if your employer asks during an interview if you’ve ever been arrested or are a convicted felon, are you offended? chances are you have not and are not. so you wouldn’t be offended. the employer was just doing their due diligence.

Millen must know where some bodies are buries. This knuckle dragging troglodyte was kept on with the Lions after leading them to the cellar year after year and now he gets a job as an analyst? Come on. Get rid of this moron.